PRIVACY STATEMENT

We are committed to providing our visitors with a website that respects their privacy. The following provides a summary of our practices regarding collection, use and disclosure of information. When you visit a Government of Alberta website, the web server automatically collects a limited amount of information essential for the operation and security of our website.

In order to comply with the requirements of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, personal information that the Government of Alberta may collect through this web site is collected in compliance with section 33(c) of the Act, which states:

"No personal information may be collected by or for a public body unless that information relates directly to and is necessary for an operating program or activity of the public body."

We will not release your personal information to other government departments, businesses or individuals unless required to do so by law.

For a more detailed outline of the department's privacy practices and policies, please refer to the following:

• INFORMATION COLLECTED VIA THE INTERNET
• COOKIES
• LINKS TO OTHER SITES
• LAST UPDATE OF SITE
• QUESTIONS/WHO TO CONTACT

Information Collected Via the Internet

For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.

We only share the information you give us with another government department if your inquiry relates to that department. We do not create individual profiles with the information you provide or give it to any private organizations. Alberta Environment does not collect information for commercial marketing.

Be aware that messages sent by the Internet (such as an e-mail) can be intercepted and read by others. If you are concerned about sending your personal information to us through the Internet, you can use another method such as fax, telephone or regular mail.

Any personal information you do provide is protected under Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. At the point of collection, you will be informed that your personal information is being collected, the purpose for which it is being collected and that you have a right of access to the information.

Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits.

Cookies

A cookie is a text file that is stored on a browser's computer and is sent back to the Web server each time the browser requests a page from the server. The main purpose of cookies is to identify users and possibly create customized web pages for them.

A session cookie is erased each time when the user closes the Web browser. It is stored in temporary memory and is not retained after the browser is closed. Session cookies do not collect information from the user's computer.

A persistent or permanent cookie is stored on a user's hard drive until it expires (persistent cookies are set with expiration dates) or until the user deletes the cookie. These cookies can be used to collect identifying information about the user such as web surfing behaviour or user preferences for a specific website. They can also be used to pass information from one web page to the next.

Some web pages on Alberta Environment's website use cookies but no personal information is collected or stored on the computer or web server. They are used only to pass information within the website.

Links to Other Sites

Notification of Changes

Questions/Who to Contact

For more information regarding this privacy statement, contact

The FOIP Coordinator
Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy
6th Floor, South Tower, Petroleum Plaza
9915-108 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
T5K 2G8

Phone: (780) 427-4429
Fax: (780) 427-9838